The Great War
by OmegusXIII
Summary: Team RWBY has fought hard alongside their friends and their foes to bring the Relics stolen by Kazan to Atlas, the northernmost Kingdom in Remnant. However, the forces of darkness won't give up Remnant without a fight. And they will do whatever it takes to end humanity, once and for all. But both sides will learn that there will be no victory in strength in this final chapter...
1. The Crooked Man

**A/N: Hello. :) Since there wasn't any short prior to the release of RWBY Volume 7, I thought I'd kick off my final book for "The Grimm Huntsman" with a character short for one of my OC's. It will be dedicated to Schorl, portrayed by Troy Baker. It will show his life before he became what he is, but it won't show all of what happens to him as most of those scenes carry an important impact to the other characters whom he comes into contact with. And, as you can probably guess, Schorl is based off of the Crooked Man of legend. So I wouldn't expect any happiness he has to last long... For that reason, my story will be rated "M" for potentially bloody scenes, as well as a possibility of graphic sexuality, though you won't see them too much in this prologue. Also, Jacques Schnee is still dead in my books, so you can expect a different approach to occur here in Atlas. Other than that, I hope you enjoy... :)**

**Prologue:** "The Crooked Man"

At Mistral, inside the Spider's Web, a man with short raven hair, hazel-colored eyes, a dark indigo coat with coattails on the bottom of it and a white spider logo on the back, and black pants was sitting on the table, tapping his fingernails on the table. He had a sour countenance on his face. One might suppose it was another of his... usual bad days. But this day was different, and for good reason. Since finding the location for the travelers Crimson was looking for, he'd been in such a mood of distaste just from remembering the name of Atlas. Because Atlas, in itself, had him thinking of the one person he himself once cherished...

Though, it wasn't for anyone else to know. Even Lil' Miss Malachite was out of the loop on that matter. His business was his business, to coin a certain loner's phrase. Of course, it didn't last long as she came into the room and noticed him more sour than usual.

"You doing okay, honey? You haven't budged an inch for a week. It can't be healthy to sit here all the livelong day."

To answer, the figure stopped tapping his fingernails before speaking to her in a cold and curious tone.

"Tell me something, dear. What's _your _favorite fairytale?"

* * *

_While the conversation began, the figure, now dressed in a dark red jacket and dark blue pants was walking in the rain with a small bell in his jacket pocket and a red umbrella over his head, with his face feeling welcomed the moment he saw the city far away in view, having walked well over a mile to get there. But in the city, that welcome didn't last: all around him were people, Faunus or otherwise, giving off glances with how oddly slanted he was. He was leaning forward, but his back appeared as though it were broken. For people to believe this, he had a cane in his other hand. Still, the children that walked the crossroads found him unsettling as when they walked by, he gave a smile to them, making them walk a bit faster away from him. He became a bit saddened by this as he began to frown in sorrow before he proceeded to walk with what appeared to be voices commenting on his appearance and judging him._

"Oh? You're gonna tell me a story?"

"Of a sort. But it's not like any fairytale you've heard before. No. This fairytale... is reality. And in reality, there's _nothing_ as cruel as _memory._ One moment, you're lost in a carnival of delight, the childhood aromas, the flashing neon of puberty, all that sentimental candy floss. And the next, it takes you somewhere you don't want to be. Somewhere dark and cold, filled with damp, ambiguous shapes of things one would rather forget."

"_What are you doing here, Hunchback?"_

"_Did you turn into an old man already?"_

"_This man, he doesn't seem... human."_

"_You think that's a Grimm in disguise?"_

"_I'm not letting him anywhere near my children."_

"The voices in your head, screaming through your synapses. Inescapable, unrelenting, not _at_ _all _friendly."

_The figure then began to run away in an attempt to get away from those condescending voices before he inadvertently bumped into a woman with white-blonde hair and a ponytail behind her, violet eyes, a couple of beauty marks under her right eye and another on the left side under her mouth. Her outfit was predominantly green with the exception of a red shirt under her jacket and a bird brooch on her olive scarf. Immediately, he tried to apologize for the apparent bump-in as he spoke timidly._

"_Oh, I'm so sorry about that! I-I wasn't looking where I was going! I'll just get out of your—!"_

_He'd tried to run away, but the woman said something back to him that wasn't scornful or fearful like the others. Though, it wasn't to say that she didn't notice the bend in his back._

"_No. It's okay, really. But... are you okay?"_

_The figure turned back to the woman with a look that suggested he was... confused. No one else had seemed to show compassion to him for his condition. He didn't know what to think. The best he could answer was..._

"_I... I don't know..."_

_The woman looked to him in pity from his answer before her hands went to the man's and held them gently as she spoke._

"_Maybe I can try to help you until then. My name's Robyn. Robyn Hill. And you?"_

_The figure was in a stunned daze for a bit with no one having made this much effort to get to know him. He assumed it would only come when his back didn't make him look so cursed. But now was just as fine for him..._

"_My name... is Schorl."_

* * *

_In the next flashback, Schorl (having taken off his jacket to reveal a black shirt) was now inside Robyn's apartment as he looked out of her window, overlooking the glowing orange lights in the city, presumably the streetlights. The sight was breathtaking as far as he saw, given it was his first time in Mantle. All the while, Robyn (dressed now in her red shirt and pants) was sitting on her bed, giving a smile to him while trying to get used to the sight of his back seemingly bending inward to his stomach while Schorl voiced his amazement._

"_The sight up here is astounding."_

"_I know. But, it gets old after a few weeks."_

_Schorl looked back behind him to see Robyn staring at his back, which made her avert her eyes from him, afraid she'd come off as insensitive to him, only for him to notice as he spoke to her._

"_I know you're wondering about my back."_

_Robyn knew he was right on the mark and decided to be blunt with him._

"_Nothing gets by you, huh?"_

"_Funny story, actually. I have this condition called a Marfan Syndrome. My limbs can go beyond normal human limits. Look, see?"_

_To demonstrate, Schorl began to extend his thumb as far as it could go with a few cracks as it seemed to go farther than should be possible, which made Robyn a bit nervous as she gasped before the thumb went back into its socket._

"_Not a pretty sight, is it?"_

"_You didn't have to show me that. I believed you."_

"_Nobody else did. The people around me seem to think I'm a Grimm in human clothing. I'm surprised they didn't try to sic the police on me."_

"_Um... have you thought about getting a back brace?"_

"_Believe me, that's why I'm here. For some reason, it's been... delayed. So I had to walk over a mile just to get it."_

"_Walk? You... you don't live in Mantle, do you?"_

"_I thought it was obvious. I didn't look like everyone else would, my... illness aside."_

_As Schorl's voice lowered itself to a sad tone, Robyn generally began to feel bad for this man as she stood up and walked to him before she spoke to him._

"_I'm sorry your first time in Mantle didn't turn out so happy for you."_

_As Robyn tried to place her hand on his shoulder, Schorl stopped her as he held his hand up._

"_I'm not. I expected as much, really. But when I get this new back brace, I swear, things will finally come up."_

_Hearing him speak proudly of it, Robyn became confused about why he'd be so confident in it. He seemed so certain it'll help him._

"_Really? How so?"_

"_Well, have you ever heard of cryotherapy? This new back brace can supposedly utilize fire and ice dust crystals, er, not particularly in that order. Along with helping me straighten up, it'll make dealing with the pain easier. Or at very least, I won't look like such a freak."_

_Upon hearing of such news, Robyn gave a soft smile to him. It was a relief to hear that he wouldn't be treated so rough from here on out, assuming he'd get his hands on it._

"_Wow... that actually sounds nice."_

"_I know. In fact, I gave up my life savings on it."_

_That's where Robyn showed her concern. She knew he's certain it can help him, but for him to give up all of his money for it... somehow, it made her worried._

"_Your whole life savings...? Is it really that important to you?"_

"_Well, I don't exactly live in Atlas, that's for sure. I mean, I have a job, but the pay is practically peanuts. But, I saved them up for a whole year just to get the one answer to my problems. I know it'll fix everything."_

"_But... have you thought about what you'll do if it doesn't?"_

_Schorl could hear the concern in her voice and soon, he began to feel worried as well. He was so sure it would work, but since coming here to Mantle, his faith was admittedly shaken up with how the people judged him. The walk here, the money he's had to scrounge up, the thought of doing all of that for nothing was something he's scared to think about._

"_No. I'm... I'm not sure I want to."_

_Robyn could tell that he didn't come all this way for nothing, but she wanted him to know that it wasn't. At least not as far as she's concerned. She knew one way to start if it didn't work out._

"_Well... maybe you could have a better life here in Mantle. I could help with getting you a better job. I'm sure they'll understand if I explain your condition to them."_

_Hearing her offer to help, Schorl's face began to soften as he looked to her with hope in his eyes._

"_That sounds... delightful."_

* * *

_**Play Lucas King Music: "Hate"**_

_About two months since then, Schorl's new life with Robyn had been off to a great start. For one thing, Schorl was plentifully relieved to have received his long-awaited therapeutic back brace to help with the pain in his back as a result from his Marfan Syndrome. The only downside to it was that the fire and ice dust crystals were finite. So, naturally, Robyn tried her best to look for a job that'd best suit Schorl. In the end, Schorl ended up employed in the Schnee Dust Company at a nonessential post. Yet even the pay from that was acceptably higher than what he had outside of Mantle. As a result, Schorl was getting a much different welcome than when he first came here._

_The children that walked by no longer feared his smile; they even enjoyed the small bell he carried with him. The people around him didn't point or jeer, nor did they feel threatened by him. He was feeling... acceptance. That which has been denied him for so long was finally in his grasp. Then came the Fall of Beacon._

_Since then, Ironwood enforced a Dust Embargo to keep people from pointing fingers in a dangerous way. Unfortunately, it wasn't without consequence to the people who relied on Dust, especially to Schorl. His back brace needed Dust to engage the cryotherapy necessary to purge his pain. But with that Embargo in place, he might as well be suffering in silence. However, his sufferings didn't go so silent when the Dust supply ran out a few days after. The pain assaulted him again, but with a greater potency than he had to deal with before. And however gradual it was, it's beginning to push him to drastic measures..._

_As Mantle began to decline, Schorl began to write in his notebook the conditions of Mantle and what he felt must be done about it. Robyn would be curious about what exactly it was that he wrote, but out of fear that she wouldn't understand any of it, he'd politely ask her to leave him be. Meanwhile, Schorl's back brace did nothing for his pain, but as mentioned before, it helped to hide it from the rest of the world. And as if that weren't enough, the people around him were becoming more and more agitated with the result of the Embargo, especially concerning those who worked in the Schnee Dust Company. But it was an especially hard blow to the Schnee family, as he soon found out._

_One night, while he was walking by himself, he took notice of the riots up ahead, particularly about the Dust Embargo. To clear himself away from the storm, Schorl tried to run to a different alley. In so doing, he was able to escape. But as he caught his breath, he noticed a woman with white hair and elegant attire sitting at a table in the bar._

_Normally, he'd be puzzled to find that a woman with such stature would go to a podunk like this, and he was. But he remembered the rumors he'd heard in the workplace, rumors about someone in the Schnee Family who's had the hardest time. Schorl didn't quite see it when he looked at her then, so much as someone who's had a bad day. He was hesitant to go inside and see for himself at first with the risk of his back brace giving away his condition, but then he figured it might help to talk to someone like him as he walked in and sat down by her. When the bartender came up to the two of them, the woman spoke up in a sad voice._

"_I'll have another of the usual, please."_

"_And what about your friend?"_

_The woman turned to her left to see Schorl, which made her confused to see someone else sitting next to her. Adding to that, she didn't quite know this man herself. But before she could speak against the assumption, Schorl spoke up to him._

"_I'll have what she's having."_

"_Okay. That's two usuals on the way."_

_As the bartender began to prepare their orders, the woman began to look to Schorl with curiosity. In her experience, she's never seen anyone sit beside her. Granted, it may have been that she was too intoxicated to notice. Still, she was quite curious about his resemblance. He did appear to be familiar somehow._

"_Are you a regular here?"_

"_Oh, uh, no. It's my first time here."_

"_I see. Don't I... know you from somewhere?"_

"_Not that I know of."_

_Just then, the bartender got out two mugs of what looked like foaming, dark yellow-colored liquid before he spoke to the two of them._

"_There you are. Two mugs of the usual."_

_As the bartender walked away, Schorl became confused with its appearance as he held the mug in his hand and turned to the woman._

"_This is the usual?"_

"_That's right. You can drink it, but I'll warn you. It's a little strong."_

"_Now, why would you tell me that?"_

_As an answer, Schorl took a sip from the woman's usual and began to taste a sparkle in his mouth as his eyes widened. The taste in his mouth was like nothing he'd ever had before. It was almost exactly like pure, melted gold. And if that didn't catch him off-guard, the burning in his throat and the boiling in his stomach from the usual would've done it as he spoke loudly in elation._

"_WHOO! That was amazing! What is this stuff?"_

_The woman was initially caught unawares by his elated cheer, but proceeded to answer him nonetheless._

"_That would be alcoholic cider. The strong stuff."_

"_Really? Well, they can't all be winners."_

_Schorl then began to take a second drink from his mug of cider as the woman became confused as to his presence._

"_So... what brings you here?"_

_As an answer, Schorl set his drink back down on the counter before turning to her and giving her a blunt look._

"_I've, uh... been having a lot of bad days, lately. Especially with those riots. And you?"_

"_Same here, but, uh... it's more for my situation than yours. What's your name?"_

"_The name's Schorl. What about you?"_

"_Willow. Willow Schnee."_

_Schorl's face widened in surprise to know for himself that the rumors were proven true. Yet, at the same time, it didn't quite bother him. Rich or not, she's no different from other people, at least based on his mindset. So, he gave her a smile as he replied back to her._

"_That's a pretty name. Do your friends know you go here?"_

"_I... don't really have a lot of friends."_

"_Well, Willow, you've got one now."_

* * *

_Later that same night, Schorl had gotten to know her quite well, just as she got to know him. Willow Schnee was a suffering mother to Weiss, Winter, and Whitley, resigned to the bar for comfort since her husband, Jacques, had revealed that he'd only married her for the family name. He was not any happier than she was about it. He told him that someday, he'd make sure to give Jacques what he deserved. She told him that it'd be the day when it goes, but she'd look forward to that possibility if only to get a better life. By now, he was in front of the door to Robyn's room as he knocked on her door. The voice that responded back sounded a bit dismal._

"_Come in."_

_Schorl felt as though something bad happened to Robyn as he'd opened the door slightly before speaking to her._

"_What happened? Is something wrong?"_

_Hearing his voice, Robyn looked behind her to see Schorl and became surprised while he became confused at the look on her face._

"_Robyn? Is something wrong?"_

_To answer him, Robyn went to Schorl and hugged him, being mindful of his back as her hands were under it._

"_I was getting worried about you, you know."_

_Hearing the response she had to say, Schorl became confused as he tried to confirm it._

"_You were?"_

"_Of course! You know those people are rioting out there with that Dust Embargo! Why didn't you call me?! I thought you were hurt. Or worse..."_

"_Yeah... that. Sorry I didn't get here sooner, and for failing to call you. See, I was—"_

_Before he could finish, Robyn gave him a quick kiss in the lips, making him blush at how quickly she made the move before she spoke to him again._

"_You don't have to explain. I'm just glad you're okay."_

_Schorl was caught quite off-guard by Robyn's move on him. But it did feel... nice. In spite of the pain he still felt inside him, this warm feeling made him feel... happy. Though he liked to have more, he didn't feel quite right about leaving out what he'd done as he spoke to her again._

"_Well, can I explain anyway?"_

"_Hmm... maybe after this."_

_Robyn then began to plant a longer kiss with Schorl on the lips as his arms then began to roam to her back and hold her tight._

_The next morning after, the two of them were in bed, Robyn's chest under the cover of the blanket as the two of them looked at the ceiling above them. Looking back on that kiss from last night, Schorl pondered to Robyn about her desire to have a relationship._

"_I don't understand. What made you so interested in me like this all of a sudden?"_

"_Well... I read what you were writing last night."_

_Hearing this, Schorl began to feel as though he was being judged. But then, why would their whole affair have anything to do with what she read from his excerpt? Cautiously, he inquired her opinion on it._

"_And... what do you think?"_

_There was a small silence between the two for a moment before Robyn replied._

"_I think you're right."_

"_You... agree with me?"_

"_I do."_

"_On which part?"_

_Robyn then gave a small chuckle before she held her hand out to his shoulder and placing it on top of it as she spoke._

"_All of it."_

* * *

_From then on, Schorl continued his story as he was now shown to be wearing a red coat with coattails, necessary to hide his back brace and appear natural, as he walked through the street with his cane in hand. It had been another full month since their relationship blossomed into something beautiful. In that time, Robyn began her campaign in Mantle to be the next member of the Council with Barak having taken the second-to-last seat. She is now in the midst of a campaign battle with Jacques Schnee as her opposition. Not that anyone ever liked the guy, but his resources are what allowed Dust to be distributed, so he wasn't all too happy with the Dust Embargo either._

_As Schorl noticed his face on the polls, the election being another month away from deadline, he gave a scoff at Jacques as he walked around the city in search of something to commemorate their one-month anniversary. Even with the money they had together, Schorl wanted to save up on their earnings to at a better living. Still, he wanted to give her one subtle gift that's enough to let him know how he felt about her. After a walk-around, Schorl found the answer that'll help show that: a flower shop._

_Without hesitation, he went in the shop and took a look around to see which flower would best suit Robyn. The first one he saw was a rose, which was beautiful in its own right, but it was too thorny to handle. Another flower that couldn't take was a sunflower as it was usually cold in Mantle, even in the Spring. Finally, after some searching, Schorl finally found a flower that'd perfectly describe Robyn: a daisy. It's often judged to be delicate, but in reality, it can be so much more in the long run that is the circle of life. Schorl used the money to buy it shortly and walked out with it. Happy as he was to hold the gift in his hand, Schorl took notice of something ahead that jeopardized it greatly._

_He'd found himself in the midst of a riot. But this one was much more lethal, throwing rocks of all things at the Holo screens and breaking other windows as well. He knew it concerned the polls, but he didn't know what set them off like that. He could run, but if Robyn should happen to come down that way, she'd end up hurt, or worse. He decided that, with caution, he'd try to reason with them as he held his daisy out, slowly stepped toward them and spoke._

"_Uh, excuse me? Can I have your attention?"_

_The crowd of rioters all turned to see the one who spoke to them. In their eyes, all they saw was someone rich who didn't care about their pain, at least one would assume. That came as unfortunate for Schorl as one among them shouted to him._

"_You want our attention?! You got it!"_

_The rioters all began to chase him down the alley, throwing them at Schorl as he ran. As fate would have it, one of the rocks hit him in the back brace and immediately, he slouched and bent his back before collapsing to the floor. As he writhed in the pain of it all, the rioters became convinced that they dislodged his spine and stopped him from moving as they got closer and closer to him, preparing to stone him while Schorl narrated._

"If you were expecting a happy ending of sorts in the long run, you'd be sadly mistaken. There's none to have in reality. A cruel joke to us at our expense_._"

_The last thing Schorl can see anymore in his situation was one of the rioters stoning him with their rocks before it all went black._

"How do you think the Crooked Man exists?"

_As the rain fell on the ground, Schorl's broken body laid there, the blood poring out of his wounds spilled out to a nearby drain, along with a small bell that got crushed by the stones tossed at him and what Schorl tried to give Robyn, a flower now drenched deep in his red blood, only for it to remain unable to go in as the grate's holes were too thin for it to go in. His once live body was now stamped with cuts and bent limbs from the stoning. Amidst the rain, the dead Schorl was paid a visit to by a man with a white coat holding a symbol of a letter M inside a hexagon. His hair was white with a mustache and a beard along with red eyes. The more he gazed at this body, the more he began to take interest as Schorl narrated before the man spoke to himself._

"He walked a crooked mile to find a way to belong with the others and to offer them friendship. But all he got in return was stones thrown at him, and a flower deep in red. Now, they were in hard economic times, but for seemingly no reason at all, they viewed him as a dishonest man who got what he deserved."

"_Perhaps Lord Nigreos will have a use for you yet..."_

_The man then got out a syringe containing a black liquid before inserting it into Schorl's dead body through his wrist. When the injection was done, the liquid traveled throughout his body his veins beginning to blacken before he shot his eyes open in a gasp of fear as his eyes turned from hazel to purple with grey sclerae for a moment as he narrated further._

* * *

"Then, with the help of the devil, he rose from death and cursed man with great vengeance. Pretty soon, he made good on his curse and took their scared children."

Lil' Miss Malachite then began to recall something as dreadful as that, though it didn't faze much out of her as she replied.

"I think I remember hearing about something like that. It was all in the papers, wasn't it?"

"Yes. That was him."

This earned a puzzled, yet admittedly frightened look from Lil' Miss Malachite as she tried to speak.

"Oh... is this... Crooked Man who you were thinking about?"

"Well, now, yes. But... I've got someone else in mind..."

Schorl then got out his bloodied daisy that he'd picked up since he'd been changed and began to reminisce about what could've been as a single tear escaped his eye. In that moment, Lil' Miss Malachite noticed a crooked bell by his right hand. It seemed rather harmless for her despite its legend; she didn't really believe in any urban legends. So, she picked it up and gave it a look before Schorl spoke up.

_**End Lucas King Music: "Hate"**_

"You'd put that down if you know what's good for you."

"Sorry. You know you should find a better knick-knack then a bell. Especially _this _one."

While she did as Schorl requested, he picked up the bell and put it inside his pocket to keep it safe before standing up and walking out of the bar as he spoke to her.

"Believe me, I wish I could. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off. You're in charge until I get back."

While he walked away, Lil' Miss Malachite showed a confused look as to the meaning of that sentence.

"So, what? Is it a keepsake or somethin'?"

To answer, Schorl stopped just as he opened the door before turning to Malachite and speaking to her with a hint of longing in her voice.

"Let's just say you won't want to be around when it rings. It's murder..."

Schorl then proceeded to exit and close the door before walking out in the rain. While he did, his hazel eyes turned into a dark purple shade with grey sclera was he began to chuckle softly with wicked malice in his tone before he spoke to himself, his voice beginning to distort into a monster's.

"Ready or not, Atlas... **here comes The Crooked Man."**


	2. The Greatest Kingdom

**WARNING: To avoid confusion, it is highly recommended that you at least read The Grimm Huntsman, The Dark Rose, and The Third Crusade before proceeding to read this chapter. If you do proceed to read in spite of this, please know that you've been warned.**

**Chapter**** 1:** "The Greatest Kingdom"

"Manta 5-1, welcome home."

Despite the air controller's words, the welcome felt anything but. All around, the airships were scattering in so many directions, a giant would mistake that for an infestation of flies. They'd hoped to get the Relics to safety since reclaiming two of them (one of Creation being held by Skye, and the other of Destruction handled by Selene) from Kazan, but any outcome of it going smoothly flew right out the window now. Ryker, the young genius that worked in Argus before, felt as though that they must be preparing for war. With what's happened at Kuroyuri, Haven, and now Argus, they might as well be. As the Atlas ship and a ship from Mistral closed in, housing friends and former foes alike, the air controller spoke to the ships.

"Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega-12. A security team will meet you there, over."

With all the apparent confusion, Ruby, who held the Relic of Knowledge in her possession, had a right to worry as she spoke to her father, Qrow, out of concern.

"I don't understand. What's happening here?"

"I don't know."

Considering what he himself told everyone prior to the Battle of Haven, Raider could make a guess.

"I think I do. They must be preparing for war, like Ryker said."

The young boy hung his head down in fear, catching Skye's attention.

"And this is one of those moments where I hope I wasn't right."

As Skye tried to comfort him, placing her hand on his shoulder, she tried to tell him to look at the bright side, with Ryker proving hard to convince.

"But we are here. We got the lamp, the sword, and the staff to Atlas."

"Yeah. So?"

"So... I guess we land and get some answers."

Knowing full well what they did to get here, Weiss didn't feel so certain about that.

"I'm not sure. I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we land in a stolen ship, let alone with Salem inside, there's no way the security team will let us anywhere near Ironwood."

Logan then tried to bring up the bright side of when they land as he spoke up to her.

"Well... you are the new owner of the Schnee Dust Company. And Skye worked at Atlas Academy before. Maybe you can talk some sense into them, let them know what's gone down since you left."

"I could. But what about that Mistral ship with Remnant's Most Wanted on board next to us. How are we supposed to explain that?"

This made the room go silent as they had difficulty trying to come up with it. It was a hard concept to grasp from the beginning. The silence broke with Blake and Ryker speaking to Weiss.

"So..."

"What's the plan, then?"

As an answer, Weiss brought up the first person she could think of before turning to Maria.

"Winter! Put some distance between us and the fleet."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

With that, the ship then proceeded towards Mantle, leaving Roman and his crew bewildered as he spoke before Tukson had an idea.

"Huh? Don't they know Atlas is up there?"

"Maybe that's the point. You are a wanted criminal, after all."

This earned a slight giggle from Neo, seeing him get a burn before Roman understood his point as he spoke in recovery from the embarrassment.

"Right. Uh... follow that ship."

The Mistral ship then proceeded to follow RWBY's underneath Atlas.

* * *

Down below Atlas lies the city of Mistral. People were going about their lives like they usually do. But somehow, from their point of view, it all looked so... sad. Despite the futuristic look of the city, depression still existed. It's hard to imagine how they got by at all... Then, as they went deeper in Mantle, Teams RWBY, SIBR (Skye, Ilia, Bella, and Raider), JNPR, Oscar, Logan, Crimson, and Salem looked to the left to see a man with disheveled raven hair, a beard, and an attire of a white outfit with blue and red accents speaking out in a broadcast to the people.

"...cannot express our appreciation enough. Many describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That is my promise."

Ruby and Yang instantly recognized him as the latter spoke first before the former saw the look on his face.

"General Ironwood. He looks..."

"Tired."

This made Raider concerned, remembering the last time anyone felt tired at the farm as he looked to Ironwood before Qrow spoke and he added to it.

"James, what have you been doing?"

"I hope not what I think you did."

On the Mistral ship, Adam and Lavender couldn't help but look down over the people of Atlas as they walked, feeling a little disgruntled with the robots marching on the streets as two civilians became annoyed.

"Ugh, not these again."

"Why can't they just leave us be?"

Seeing this in front of his eyes, Adam was at a loss for words. For the longest time, he thought that only the Faunus were the ones who suffered. Now, he could see for himself that he was wrong, not that he wasn't proven wrong before. And Lavender was just as disheartened if not more so as she looked to Adam with sympathy.

"Not so easy watching what happens to the other half, is it?"

"Nothing I haven't seen before. But still..."

At the same time, Team CMNE looked to another corner from above, watching as two little girls, one with blonde hair, tan skin, and a red jacket and another with a darker complexion, grey hair, and a purple jacket, hid by the alley as the second girl picked up a rock and tossed it at a floating drone. Upon being hit, the drone turned around just as they hid by the corner. Seeing this, Emerald had a look of sympathy for her as she recalled what her life was like before Cinder. She remembered how she used to steal from everyone in plain sight with her semblance. Cinder could see the sad look on her face as she brought it up to her.

"Is something wrong, Emerald?"

"I'm fine, Cinder. It's just that seeing all of this... it brought back some memories. Before I met you."

Meanwhile, in the ship for Atlas, Weiss felt sick to the stomach from seeing such a dismal setting.

"This isn't right. None of this is right."

Just then, the air controller spoke up to their ship again.

"Manta 5-1, we've noticed a detour in your route. You are to make your way over to docking bay Omega-12 immediately, do you copy? Over."

Maria could easily tell that she was beginning to run out of patience as she brought it up before Yang pointed out the obvious solution and Qrow went along with it.

"We're running out of time here, kids."

"We need to ditch the ship."

"Agreed. Get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time."

Neither Logan nor Weiss found it to be a good idea as they spoke against it.

"And get into more trouble than we should be? No thanks."

"I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood."

Then, Ryker looked out the window and saw something that proved otherwise as she brought it up to Weiss and Logan.

"Uh, I'm not so sure about that."

The two of them walked over to see what Ryker was talking about. And the moment they saw it, they immediately wished they hadn't. Winter was giving a broadcast to Mantle as well, much to the shock of Weiss and Logan.

"A reminder."

"Huh?"

"Is that... really Winter?"

"Failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense. If your sector is under lockdown, please act in accordance with our guidelines."

Seeing the broadcast himself, Qrow voiced his opinion to the two of them.

"No offense, you two. I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore."

Of course, it came much to their chagrin, Weiss's most of all as she tried to explain the reason why things are the way they are before Logan joined in only to be interrupted by Qrow.

"There's obviously something very wrong."

"Yeah. Maybe if we just talk to her, we can—"

"Look, I'm not even sure we should be talking to Ironwood until we know exactly what's going on with Mantle."

"But—"

Before the argument could continue further, Maria piped up about the solution.

"Everyone, calm down. I know someone who can help with both."

This made Selene confused as she turned to her father, Maurice.

"Really? Who?"

"Well, the same person who gave Maria her new eyes."

Just then, before Selene could find out who, the air controller piped up again over the radio, more frustrated than ever.

"Manta 5-1, you are to make your—"

Having had enough of her voice, Maria tunes her out with the knob.

"Jeez, lady, take a hint."

The ships then proceeded to look for a new place to land amidst the melancholic setting of Mantle. Seeing her reckless action, Selene wasn't sure that she found it to be a good idea.

"Did you just cut her off?"

Maurice only gave a sigh as he spoke to her.

"Now you know what I had to put up with in my early days."

* * *

Later afterwards, Maria led the way with Maurice following close by her. Soon after, Crimson, Selene, and Qrow came through the corner with Raven, and Taiyang, followed by Teams SIBR, RWBY, and CMNE with Logan, Ryker, Oscar, and Salem. Up next came Arthur and Tukson with them alongside Adam, Ghira, Kali, Lavender, and the bunny Faunus who took part in the Battle of Haven before as she walked by Ilia, whose spots began to turn pink as well as her eyes while Skye and Blake smiled to her as behind them, the Soldiers were headed to the ships that landed.

"They landed over there. Let's go!"

As this happened, Watts turned behind to see the soldiers going past them before giving a small scoff and proceeding to walk. While they did, Pyrrha was generally concerned about a certain Scorpion Faunus who didn't have quite a good track record.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave Tyrian behind?"

"He doesn't have a good track record public-wise, Ms. Nikos. And besides, he has his orders: to subdue, not to maim. Naturally, Hazel and Roman are staying behind to make sure he follows that rule, if not to keep themselves scarce."

Jaune found it hard to believe as he spoke to him.

"Really? On, uh, whose authority, exactly?"

"Why, yours, Young Master."

Jaune's face immediately blanched from being called that as he groaned. It was only a few hours ago when he found out he was related to Salem. He didn't have enough time to get over it, so to he brought up with it again gave him butterflies in his stomach.

"But I didn't—! When did I—?! Ugh! It's gonna be a long while before I get used to that."

Pyrrha then held Jaune's hand, hoping to help comfort him as she spoke to him.

"There's going to be a lot to get used to. But don't worry. At least they're on our side now."

Despite Pyrrha's attempt to calm him down, Jaune could still feel the stress from this new arrangement as he spoke.

"I know. That's what worries me."

As Jaune struggled to get used to this new alliance and heritage, Emerald noticed the same girl who threw a rock at a drone before putting up a poster with Robyn on it as the words said 'Robyn is here'. The little child had a look of hope on her face as she did it. Emerald couldn't help but feel happy for her.

If anything, she was the lucky one compared to her. She didn't have anyone to look up to at her age. The only time she looked up to anyone was when Cinder found her. Mercury could see the smile on her face as he brought it up coyly.

"See something you like?"

Annoyed as she was by Mercury's mocking tone, she decided not to let it get the better of her. He didn't have anyone else to look up to that didn't hate his guts, after all. So, she merely countered his banter with a smirk.

"Maybe... but I don't think you'd get it."

The counter seemed to have worked as Mercury became confused before Maria told them to pick up the pace alongside Maurice.

"Get what?"

"Come on, now! Hurry! It shouldn't be much of a walk."

"Yes. The sooner we find our compatriot, the sooner this mess can be sorted out."

Seeing the number of soldiers present here, Oscar pondered to Ryker about the likeliness of it.

"Were there usually this many soldiers?"

"Well... since the Fall of Beacon, Atlas went pretty downhill with the embargo and everything. They're usually here to keep riots from happening since someone died in the process."

This made Oscar widen his eyes in shock from hearing this before he asked further on the topic with curiosity.

"Well, did they say who it was?"

"Well... I didn't pay much attention to that, but not long after he was killed... the riots apparently got worse. The night after, people were screaming, and their kids were... they were killed on the spot."

"But that's... horrible. Who could do that?"

"Some people thought it was the rioters. Others thought it was something else. But either way, Ironwood didn't want any more people dying. So, he sent soldiers here to help stop the riots and/or future attacks that would result in genocide."

This made Oscar feel bad for Ironwood and the people of Mantle for what they had to go through."

"Wow... no wonder he's getting tired."

Just then, Yang heard a whirring beside her and turned to see a drone with a camera on it as it zoomed a bit closer to her. In that moment, Watts spoke up beside her as he held his right hand out to it.

"I wouldn't try to attract too much attention."

The rings on his fingers began to glow blue before he simply drew his hand down swiftly, and the drone then shut itself down before Yang looked to him in surprise.

"How did you do that?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets. All the same, I think we should pick up the pace."

Yang gave Watts a peeved look as she followed him while Salem, who walked beside Selene and Oscar, held a sad countenance on her face before the latter of the two turned to her.

"Is... something wrong?"

"Oh. Sorry. It's just that this isn't my first time here in Mantle. And it was nothing advanced like this. But, what's really sad is that despite all these technological advancements, that... depression. It hasn't changed one bit."

"You of all people have to remember, the kingdom had just lost the Great War. The people of Mantle needed a sign of a brighter future, and that sign was Atlas. After all, a home in the clouds is about as bright as it gets."

Ilia, who had an unpleasant memory there when she found out her parents were killed as her friends mocked the Faunus before Skye came to her, had a different outlook to it as a truck with dirtied mine workers, one of which was a Faunus with grey rabbit ears over her violet hair, went past them, giving Ilia a hateful look as she muttered to herself while her skin turned red with her hair turning yellow.

"If you ask me, it's just as dark, too."

The rabbit girl beside her showed a bit of worry for Ilia as she spoke gently.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Ilia tried to take a deep breath, trying not to give herself away, in anger or crush, as she replied before Blake added to Ilia's description of Mantle.

"I think so. It's just— this whole city... it just seems awful."

Just then, in response to Ilia's words, a slurring male voice spoke up behind her saying otherwise as he zipped through the corner, almost slipping as he held a small portable flask in hand.

"Yeah? You don't like it here? There's plenty of space out in the tundra."

This earned looks of disgust towards him, especially from Ilia as she growled at him, but Blake waved her off, discouraging her from starting any fight.

"Sorry. She didn't mean to—"

"Atlas is the greatest kingdom in the world, alright?"

Ilia had a right to disagree with what she'd been through as she retorted.

"In a pig's eye, maybe!"

Skye then stopped Ilia as she held her arm in front of her before Blake chimed one as well.

"Stop, Ilia. He's just drunk. He doesn't know any better."

"Besides, we can't cause a scene."

Then, Ghira, infuriated by how entitled he spoke to Blake, spoke up in defiance of what Skye and Blake told Ilia with a tone of vindication.

"Well, if Atlas is so great, then why is the embargo happening in the first place?"

To answer him, another man in a purple beanie cap along with a grey jacket, whose voice was just as slurry from being drunk answered him before the other drunkard made the situation escalate.

"The embargo... the embargo's got us in a rough patch, but it'll blow over. You'll see."

"We try and help the other kingdoms, and this is what happens? I say 'let 'em rot!'"

This did not sit well at all with Adam as he growled in his breath, preparing to unsheathe his sword before catching Lavender's worry and Sienna's shake of her head, making him rethink on letting his sword loose on him as he let go of his weapon before Blake spoke to him.

"I apologize. She didn't mean to insult you."

The man only spat on the floor before he proceeded to speak ill to her.

"Stupid Faunus like you wouldn't under—"

Before he could finish, he noticed that a black glyph underneath his feet. Not long after, he shot up like a rocket with a whoosh before landing in a trash bin, making the whole group, especially Logan look to Weiss in surprise, having been revealed to be the one who catapulted him to the dumpster as Ilia and Logan spoke in surprise.

"Weiss..."

"Now, don't get me wrong, that was really awesome, but what happened to not causing a scene?"

"It was worth it."

The group then took off with Weiss leading the way as the other man looked to his friend as the soldiers checked up on him. Then, he looked back, recalling that he saw the current leader of the Schnee Dust Company not too long ago as he tried to go after them.

"Hey, wait! You're— that was—"

In his attempt to get to Weiss and the others, he tripped as Winter's broadcast played.

"We are here for your safety. Thank you for your cooperation."

* * *

The group then proceeded to find the compatriot that Maurice and Maria spoke of. While they did, Ilia was still surprised by what Weiss did for her a few moments ago. She was a Schnee. And yet, she stood up for the Faunus, too. Then again, given how she knew Blake, that should be expected. Before Ilia could dwell further on that, she heard Skye's voice speaking behind her before Blake egged her on.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Aren't you gonna talk to her?"

This made Ilia's skin become red with her hair turning yellow before she replied to Blake and Skye became curious.

"I told you, it's not happening."

"But why? What's the worst that could happen?"

Ilia became a bit saddened to think of the reason as her skin and hair turned blue while she answered.

"I just... I mean, you of all people should understand that it's not that easy for me. All my life... Faunus, Humans. I've never felt accepted by either because of how I look. I just don't know where I belong sometimes and that makes it hard to... I don't know. I just wish there was an easier way for me to introduce myself."

Fortunately, Blake had the answer as she smiled before speaking mischievously.

"I think I know a way..."

Quickly, Blake shoved Ilia to the girl, bumping the two of them and causing Ilia to have a panic attack as her skin turned as pink as her spots and eyes as she tried to apologize, though she didn't see any need for Ilia to do that.

"I-she-you-I didn't- Sorry-I"

"That's okay. I wasn't watching where I was go—"

The girl's train of thought was cut off as she noticed Ilia's condition.

"Are you okay?"

Hearing her voice speak up to her, Ilia tried to bounce back from the embarrassment.

"Oh! Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Well... you just keep changing colors is all."

To prove her point, Ilia's spots were glowing pink along with her eyes before she sighed and told her how she worked.

"Yeah, that usually happens with me. I'm like a chameleon."

This piqued the girl's interest as she made a smile.

"Oh. That's why you change colors, huh? I thought you could pass for human."

"Yeah. I-I guess I could."

Ilia then gave a glare behind her to Blake with a look that said, 'I should have killed you when I had the chance', only to get a smile and a thumbs-up from Blake as she spoke to her with Skye smiling back at her.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Moments later, the group finally arrived at the place where Maurice and Maria would find their compatriot as a feminine bear Faunus cake out the door with a robot arm on her left sleeve as a voice spoke to her while she waved goodbye with a smile.

"And no more heavy lifting, you hear?"

Seeing the young girl leave with her new arm, Watts made a small grumble before as Maria and Maurice spoke to the owner of the establishment as he was digging in his drawer.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to see you again, old friend."

"Yes. It's been so long since we last met."

Hearing two familiar voices, an elderly man with a light brown skin complexion, small glasses a tan beard, a yellow shirt, and a red sleeveless jacket, looked up to see Maria and Maurice as he spoke to them good-naturedly.

"Ah, yes, yes. Have we met?"

This made Ren view it as a bit of a disappointment as he spoke sarcastically while the rest of Team JNPR, SIBR, CMNE, Salem, Oscar, Selene, and the others walked in.

"Well, this is off to a fantastic start."

Maurice then decided to clear up the subject as he spoke.

"Remember when you gave Maria her new eyes? Cybernetic optic implants? You always had to adjust them? Every ten years?"

The man had a look on his face that said he was trying to remember before he finally figured it out and spoke in surprise as his chair moved around the table with the help of its metal legs.

"Maurice! Maria! Yes, with the cybernetic optical implants. I adjust them every 10 years or so."

Seeing him in person, Selene became surprised as she widened her eyes.

"Oh, yeah! Now I remember! My father always talked about you!"

Seeing Selene in person after such a long time, the owner became enamored with his appearance before turning to Maria and showing her to a custom bed, used for his pharmacy.

"Oh wow, Selene! Look how you've grown. Has it been that long already?"

As he tended to Maria, Watts only gave a scoff as he spoke under his breath, making Salem turn to him in curiosity before he brushed her off.

"Hmph. Sometimes, I wonder."

"Did you say something, Watts?"

"Nothing of importance, your mistress. Let's just get this over with."

Watts then went over to a corner before leaning against it, making Selene more confused, though she didn't quite care enough about it, which was more than can be said for Salem as she had a look of sympathy towards him.

"Okay..."

Despite Watts' whispered criticism, Maria and the owner continued their conversation.

"Ah, I know. I age like a fine wine. Would've been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers."

Her comment made Logan resent her words as he shouted before Maria resumed her conversation with the owner.

"Hey!"

"At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx."

"Oh, did they?"

"No, no. They had much more complicated issues."

Seeing as no introduction was made, Qrow was confused about who he was before Selene answered for him before Raider chimed in.

"And this is?"

"He's my dad's old friend, one of the greatest minds of Atlas."

Yang found it hard to believe as she and Taiyang spoke of the pharmacy's condition.

"Working in a place like this?"

"Yeah, it does look a little short on... paint."

Suddenly, a ceiling tile creaked before it came loose and fell to the floor with a thud before Taiyang added to his statement before Maria explained.

"And tiles."

"He likes to keep a low profile. Something I've come to realize none of you know anything about."

Watts immediately gave a scoff before the owner introduced himself.

"You can call me Pietro."

"Finest heart, too. This is the pharmacy where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood up in the clouds."

Watts couldn't help but boil over it as he growled before Salem cleared her throat and spoke up to Maria.

"Funny you mention that. There's someone in here who's been looking forward to that as well. I think you might know him."

Salem then turned to Watts, making him blanch as she motioned him over before he cleared his throat.

"Oh, yes. Well, I think it's time that the true genius reveals himself."

As Watts steps up in front of the group, Pietro's face dropped. The moment he laid eyes on him, Pietro instantly recalled who he was, seemingly with dread as he spoke before Watts spoke next sarcastically.

"W-Watts? You're alive?!"

"Yes, and I'm sure you must be very happy to see me."

In a moment, his face of dread soon changed to that of joy as he spoke with elation, throwing Watts off-guard as he widened his eyes.

"Of course I'm happy to see you! We all thought you were dead!"

This made the whole group become surprised, save for CMNE, Tukson, Roman, and Salem as Qrow spoke to Pietro in more confusion than before.

"Wait a minute. You two know each other?"

"Of course. The two of us go way back. Speaking of, you look the same as way back when."

Watts only grunted as he spoke back to him almost callously.

"And you haven't changed much either. But... I have to wonder. If you're so fond of working alongside Ironwood, why don't you do that more often?"

"Oh, it's stuffy up there. Down here, I get to help the locals and have a little fun."

"Really? Such as?"

"I'm, uh, currently working on shoes that'll make you dance. You wanna try them on?"

In response, Watts made an uninterested face while Ren made a confused look before Nora was very eager for them as she popped up in between him and Watts, who got straight to the point.

"Yes!"

"Uh, tempting as it is to be enslaved to the rhythm of dance, we have more important things to discuss. Mostly pertaining to what's happened during my absence."

However, Selene had other plans as she chimed in.

"But before that, we're wondering if you can help us. We came to Atlas hoping to talk to Ironwood, but it doesn't seem like he's in any mood to talk with what's happening. Do you know what might be wrong?"

Pietro made a short cough before he replied to Selene's question.

"The Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was he saw there, but it changed him. He's..."

Cinder had an idea about what that could mean as she spoke to him before Watts became somewhat amused.

"He's scared, isn't he?"

"Well, that's a first."

"'Paranoid' would be the more appropriate term. You have to understand, it wasn't just the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas' security code, made it their plaything. It made us look like traitors to some, and buffoons to everyone else. Whoever managed to do that was either a genius or... or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both. And so does the General."

This made Cinder, and some of the present group, mostly pertaining to the former foes, a look of guilt. They knew their role in the Fall of Beacon and what it resulted into. Cinder was especially saddened by what occurred as she knew how badly she hurt Raider then. Watts, however, maintained a feigned look of sympathy as he spoke, his eyes slowing going to Cinder and her crew before Ren had second thoughts about Atlas while Oscar became worried.

"I'm... terribly sorry to hear this."

"Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought."

"After we came all this way? We can't just leave, can we?"

Crimson, who was knowledgeable of Raider's swords and Raven's semblance had a different opinion as he spoke.

"I guess we can. But then, what would be the point?"

Logan didn't quite feel that way as she brought up another matter to Pietro.

"How does the council feel about this? Or Winter Schnee? Or Klein, even? You know anything about them?"

"Well, the council's so scared, they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though, some representatives from Mantle are hard to persuade, especially since... the Crooked Night."

While most of the group exhibited confusion, especially Ruby, Oscar recalled what Ryker told him on the way here as he chimed in.

"The Crooked Night?"

"Ryker told me about that on the way here. He said that the rioters killed someone that day, and the night after, something killed all of the children that lived in Mantle back then."

It brought ghastly attention to the group as they became mortified by the news. Even Raider was taken aback by such a massacre, turning to Pietro with worry invading his voice.

"Is that true?"

"Sadly, yes. The embargo was one thing, but the Crooked Night, that was the last straw. It made the council desperate enough to go with whatever Ironwood had to say. Then, Barak tried to overthrow the General for the seat of the council. And he succeeded. Well, for a while."

Weiss became especially curious since it was on her own home as she quickly spoke to Pietro with concern.

"What do you mean, for a while'?"

"Well, Barak had the edge against him, but—"

Before Pietro could finish, she recognized the face staring in front of him and became surprised.

"Wait. You're— You're Weiss Schnee."

This made Weiss gasp, already fearing the worst before Yang spoke up, trying to get the rest of the story.

"Wait. What was it you were trying to say about Barak?"

In that moment, Pietro only noticed that Yang was still missing her arm as he spoke in bewilderment.

"You... still didn't get the arm?"

This made her feel embarrassed as she spoke to him.

"Actually, I did. I lost it back at Argus, but... what?"

As things became more and more confusing, Skye stepped up to him with the Relic of Knowledge in hand as she tried to explain to him.

"The Fall of Beacon took its toll on most of us, too."

This made Pietro even more amazed as he recognized her skin patterns and the relic she held.

"Skye... you came back. And with the Staff of Creation, too."

"Wait. You... you know me?"

As Skye was coming to grips with what he had to say, Ruby tried to speak to Pietro and find out what was wrong.

"Is everything okay?"

When she stood by Yang and Weiss, who stood by Blake, Pietro immediately recognized who they were as he spoke in surprise.

"You're Team RWBY!"

Caught off-guard by such a revelation, Ruby looked to her friends before speaking to Pietro in alarm.

"You know us?!"

"Oh, my girl, I do. I most certainly do. And I feel like a dunce for not recognizing you sooner."

Watts then voiced his distaste in frustration before Pietro tried to explain himself.

"Yet you don't feel like a dunce for not noticing me sooner."

"Oh, I do. But to be fair, there's a lot of people in this room."

Watts turned to the total group behind him, and he then began to see his reason as he begrudgingly conceded.

"Alright, point taken."

"Anyway, my daughter's told me so much about you. And Skye, too."

This puzzled Ruby for a moment before she spoke in curiosity, just as Raider figured out who it was.

"Your... daughter?"

"I think we might know who she is. Remember at Mistral when we—?"

Before Raider could finish, the alarms went off around Mantle, making Salem worried as people were running in all directions. She knew it wasn't anything good, but what she couldn't figure out is why. Jaune and Skye, on the other hand, felt that any kind of trouble wasn't something to put up with, let alone with the Relics involved.

"What's going on out there?"

"Trouble."

"You guys stay in here. We can handle this."

Naturally, Ghira and Kali stepped up forward as they spoke determinedly with the former extending his claws while Kali held on to her trident.

"Perhaps we can lend a hand."

"This isn't our first rodeo, either."

This made Blake embarrassed as she blushed before Raider suggested against it.

"Mom, Dad..."

"I understand that, but we need you to stay and make sure that Ryker, Pietro, Maria, and Maurice are safe."

This flummoxed Maria as she shouted at him.

"So what?! You're saying I can't take care of myself?!"

This earned a slight laugh from Maurice as he commented on her attitude.

"Well, we are old. You said so yourself, if you remember."

As Maria growled at Maurice for his comment, Crimson, remembering that he didn't have any primary weapons since his days as a Grimmite, spoke to the others.

"I think I'll sit this one out for the time being. I don't exactly have a lot to work with."

Skye came up with a way to fix that problem as she handed the Relic of Creation to him, much to Crimson's surprise.

"You do now. Think you can keep it safe until this is over?"

As an answer, Crimson gave a nod before she took off as Qrow jokingly spoke about his lack of weapons.

"When this is over, we really need to get you something to shoot with."

With that, the group all headed outside with Pietro showing concern as he shouted to them.

"Wait!"

Watts only gave a smirk as he got out a small pistol with blue cartridges inside as he spoke to Pietro.

"Sorry, old friend. But duty calls..."

Watts then ran outside to join the fray as Pietro showed a look of worry for him.

* * *

Out on the streets of Mantle, RWBY, SIBR, CMNE, Adam, Lavender, Logan, Sienna, Selene, Oscar, Watts, and Tukson were preparing for the worst as countless civilians ran past them, all of them looking for the source of the commotion, only to end up at a crosswalk and determine where it came from as they all turned to the same direction. In preparation, Raider got out his sword while Yang held her arm out, ready to fight as she loaded the weapon on her left before noticing she was missing her right arm as she grunted to herself before Ren got out his weapons as Weiss set her Myrtenaster to a gravity crystal before Blake got out her Gambol Shroud, only to notice a piece of it was splintered off in its sword function, making her gasp before setting it back in its pistol function. With everyone on guard, Oscar could figure out why the commotion was taking place, much to Nora's expectations.

"I guess the city defenses aren't doing much."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

Far across the street they looked to, the group began to hear growling as the soldiers were suddenly pushed away while several others backed away just as a Sabertusk leaped at one and chowed down on it, making Ruby glare at the scene before turning to the others.

"Well, we didn't come this far to fail now!"

Ruby then drew out her Crescent Rose and pointed it towards the Grimm, which had already destroyed the soldiers before giving pursuit to the group standing in defiance, making them glare at the beasts before Raven, Adam, and Yang launched themselves with their weapons as Ren followed suit, making Nora flustered as she shouted to him.

"Hey!"

Then, Nora had an idea as she turned to Jaune, who showed confusion about what she had in mind before she used her hammer as leverage to push herself into the air and landed on his shield before launching herself at the Grimm with Raven, Yang, and Adam knocking three of them back before Nora and Ren took one more down together, leaving only one Grimm in the front to charge at the group before Lavender ran towards it with her sword in hand before cleaving through it down the middle, turning it into black dust, though she was quickly met with another Sabertusk before using her sword to block its teeth that aimed for her face. While at its mercy, Lavender was forced to the floor as she grunted before a shot rang out as it turned into black dust before Lavender looked behind her to see Watts holding his pistol as he spoke to himself.

"Nineteen..."

In that moment, Watts took notice of several other Sabertusks in front of him, putting his focus on the ones that aren't occupied as Jaune went after one of them and cut it down before stopping another with his shield before stabbing it, letting two more go past him before Watts aimed at their heads and shot them down as they turned to black dust before he spoke to himself again.

"Seventeen..."

Meanwhile, Qrow went underneath one of the Sabertusks that lunged at him, cutting swiftly through its underbelly before slicing at another one in front of him. As another Grimm came to ambush him, Qrow countered it with his Harbinger, turning it into a scythe whilst spinning it, slicing through it just as it jumped over him before setting the scythe down and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with another one, knocking it into the air before picking up his scythe, stabbing through it, and slicing at another Sabertusk aiming to lunge at him.

On Oscar's side of the battle, he took notice of one Sabertusk headed for him before he held his staff out as it began to charge at him. Using the opportunity, Oscar dashed at him before jumping and impaling his cane at its head while bouncing over him before it fell apart and turned into black dust. Then, another Sabertusk lunged at Oscar from behind, only to get shot down by Ruby, who then gave a smile to him before turning her Crescent Rose back into a scythe and slicing at a Sabertusk that came her way before turning into a swirl of rose petals, going past a pack of Sabertusks as she zipped by. Then, she planted her scythe on the ground before using it to turn her towards an incoming pack and shooting it up into the air in scythe form, cutting down the Sabertusk before Ruby hopped on top of another and used it to leap towards her scythe before causing a shockwave as she slammed her weapon on the ground.

In the process, Mercury took notice of the incoming Grimm as he smirked before running towards them and using his feet to propel him before he flipped himself so his feet pointed to them before shooting his bullets at them while propelling him to the air, turning them into black dust before landing on the ground as he maintained his smirk.

"That was almost too easy."

Then, much to his surprise, he noticed that he was surrounded as several Sabertusks came at him in all directions before he got in a stance. When one of them got close enough, Mercury jumped towards it before firing a bullet from his foot, propelling him a bit in the air before using the movement to slam his foot on another Grimm's skull, turning it into black dust before turning to do a kick at another Grimm that lunged at him before seeing three more come at him. And he would've gotten to them, too, if not for three shots hitting all of them, turning them into black dust as they dissipated to reveal that Emerald pulled the trigger as she gave a smirk to him.

"Need a hand?"

"Come on, Emerald. I had it under con—"

Before he could finish, Emerald noticed a Sabertusk headed his way and aimed her weapon at it, making Mercury confused for the moment before she fired it and defeated the Grimm as it faded away before she spoke coyly to him.

"You were saying?"

Meanwhile, Neo was fending for herself against the Grimm as she was using her umbrella as a gun to shoot at the creatures in front of her. When the leftovers got closer to her, she countered by using her umbrella as a shield, opening it up before she whacked a few away to the walls before closing it and then stabbing at the Grimm as she jumped over them. However, Neo appeared to be in distress as another Sabertusk lunged at her before she looked on in worry. When the creature got to her, however, she only shattered like glass the moment it landed on her before she shot at the Grimm, turning it into black dust before turning to see Tukson having a heck of a time with them as she ran to him.

By that time, Tukson was lifting the Sabertusk like a boulder before tossing it at the pack and charging at the incoming pack with his claws bared as he roared before slicing at them like ribbons before panting as another aimed to lunge from behind, only for Neo to shoot at it with her umbrella, making Tukson turn to notice her with a smile as he smiled back before he spoke to her with gratefulness.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Meanwhile, Cinder and Pyrrha were fighting the Grimm back-to-back as the former used her black and orange swords while the latter used her sword, taking out the Sabertusks almost in synchronization as Pyrrha noticed a Grimm headed at her.

"Grimm at your 3:00!"

Cinder then turned to her right and cut the Grimm down quickly as it turned to dust before she turned back to Pyrrha.

"I see you're still holding back."

Pyrrha responded to her as she summoned her shield to stop the Sabertusk charging at her before impaling it from underneath.

"Yeah. I could say the same for you."

"They're just not worth my time. And you might want to duck."

To prove this, Cinder prepared to slash at the Grimm coming at her before Pyrrha got her message and ducked just as it lunged, only to meet Cinder's black glass as it was sliced before turning to black dust as Pyrrha spoke back to her.

"Thanks."

Meanwhile, Weiss had just cut down one Sabertusk before noticing another pack of them rushing in. However, she wasn't unprepared for this as she set up black glyphs underneath them before lifting them up into the air as she smiled before Ren charged at them, slicing through them in midair before they faded into black dust.

On Selene's side, she was confronted with a whole pack headed towards her as she glared at them before sidestepping the Grimm and using her Sword of Destruction to cleave through them while also sending a blazing wave of fire towards them, turning them to black dust upon impact. With more of them approaching, Selene began holding her open hand out with a dark purple aura, causing the Grimm to freeze in place as the same aura came over them and began to get crushed like soda cans before they completely disappeared. Though, she'd turned around just in time to see one Sabertusk lunged at her before she ended up knocked to the ground, using her sword to keep its teeth from eating at her. It left her no choice then, but to counter with a different spell, shining a bright light from her hand underneath it, burning it into stone before she slashed at it, scattering it to pieces before she took a sigh.

"I might need to work on my reflexes."

Meanwhile, Raider was engaging the Grimm with his Armageddon in hand as they came at him all at once. In example, Raider dodged one that lunged at him before using his momentum to swing his sword upward, cutting the Grimm down the middle before it disappeared and Raider proceeded to counter the one that lunged behind him with a horizontal slash, only to see it halt and change colors that were the inverse of its normal type. Seeing this, Raider smiled in relief as he took notice of another set of Grimm far ahead that weren't like the others as they flowed white with blue marks and eyes with Skye at the helm as she fired her arrow at the Grimm that were charging towards her before they changed color as well with Ilia, Sienna, and Bella attacking the Grimm that didn't turn as the former used her whip to shock them, the middle with her chains to corral them, and the latter used her rapier to strike at them. Then, Ilia took notice of her friend losing ground as she was struggling to hold back a Sabertusk with her shield and staff, only managing to push it back as she ran to her.

"Hold on!"

Fortunately, it was just in time, too. The Sabertusk did away with her shield as it tossed it to the side with its teeth and prepared to slash at her, only for Ilia to ambush it with a whip at its head, shocking it with the taser function before it turned to dust as the girl turned to her and smiled.

"Thank you."

Ilia then gave a smile back to her as she nodded before turning her head to the left to see Adam cutting through the Grimm with ease with Lavender doing the same beside him and his sword glowing more brightly with each one that he takes out. When the area seemed clear, Adam noticed another herd headed towards Lavender from behind before he took her hand, pulled her close, and spun around, using the momentum to perform a deadly aura slash at them, cutting through them like paper before they disappeared and Lavender looked closely to Adam with a blush as it seemed a bit sudden for her as he spoke to her.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so. But do you mind letting me go?"

This made Adam blush at her words as he realized how close she was to him.

"Right. That might be best."

In another area, Raven was slicing at several Sabertusks that lunged at her in one row before turning to another and opening up a portal, summoning a bolt of lightning from it before it struck at the Grimm and destroyed them. With the numbers whittled away, Raven turned to see Taiyang holding his own as he gave one of them an uppercut, knocking it into the air before kicking it to several others, colliding then against the wall with great impact before he started to celebrate with poses.

"Aw, yeah! Uncle Tai's still got the moves!"

In that moment, however, his celebrate was about to come to an end as one more Sabertusk was left over. It gave a growl as it started to lunge before Raven's portal opened up and swallowed the Sabertusk that lunged at him, causing Taiyang to turn around in surprise to notice nothing was there.

"What was that?"

As Taiyang tried to figure it out, the Sabertusk appeared through Raven's end, only to meet its end at her hands as she sliced through it before she shouted to him.

"Maybe you shouldn't celebrate too soon, Tai!"

Raven then went after the Grimm headed her way as she ran while Taiyang figured out that Raven must've stopped it from attacking him. This wasn't the first time it's happened to him, but he's gotten used to it as he smiled while he spoke to himself.

"Just like old times..."

Meanwhile, Yang, who despite having lost an arm, was making good use of the one she has left. A Sabertusk came at her, only for Yang to dodge it before grabbing its bony tail and pulling it away, quickly turning its body into dust, though the skull remained before Yang noticed another Grimm coming at her and used the skull to whack it to the wall before another came charging at her, only to get shot down by Blake from afar as Yang turned to notice her with a smile as Blake nodded to her. Then, Yang noticed a Grimm coming at her as she gasped before trying to warn her.

"Blake! Look out!"

She turned to see the Grimm leap at her and trained her weapon at it, only for the Grimm to freeze up as it was caught in a dark purple aura before it ended up squeezed and crushed before disappearing, looking far ahead of her to see Salem with her hand stretched out to it before she checked with the others, though they tried to get used to her assistance as Blake responded to her query before Yang.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"But for how long, though? They're just as tough as cockroaches. No matter how many we take out, more of them just keep coming."

In that moment, Salem noticed another set of Grimm coming at them and got in a stance to prepare for them with Blake and Yang doing the same before seeing them suddenly cut down by small sharp boomerangs as they embedded themselves on the ground before they heard a strange voice in the background as the red lights turned white on the streets again.

"Sorry I'm late! Almost missed my own debut!"

Adam and Lavender had looks of recognition on their faces as they spoke in surprise.

"Is that...?"

"It can't be, can it?"

As if to answer, a figure was seen swinging from a water tower and in the path of the moonlight of the broken moon before landing on the ground, revealed to be a raven-haired, sharp-clawed man with blue eyes, a black coat over his dark blue shirt, and black pants as he stood up and saw the whole group that were fighting the Grimm as he spoke with joy.

"Well, it's nice to see people taking an interest in my work. Everybody, thanks for hanging in there."

This earned confused looks from everyone in the group as Ruby spoke.

"Uh... you're welcome, I guess? But who exactly are—?"

Before Ruby could get another word in, the figure noticed a couple of familiar faces, one of them being masked as he gasped before he spoke in elation.

"Is that who I think it is?! It is, isn't it?!"

In a flash, the figure dashed past Ruby and the others until he stopped in front of Adam and Lavender.

"Adam! Lavender! It's great to see you!"

Seeing him in front of his eyes, Adam was in major disbelief. The last time he saw him was in the prison he was taken to when Blake left him. But how was it possible for him to be here?

"Cain...?"

Before Adam could speak further, he put his finger over his mouth as he spoke in correction.

"Eh. 'Jackal.'"

This confused the two even more as well as the others with Yang wondering what gave him the idea to call himself that as Ryker, Pietro, Maria, Maurice, Ghira, Kali, and Crimson joined the others outside.

"Uh, what kind of a name is 'Jackal'?"

"It's my hero name. Like, you know... 'The Unkillable Faunus'. I tried out a few other ones. The Panther. The Wolfman. The Giggler. The Hyena."

Yang was given some food for thought over the list of names Cain gave himself as she made a small smile to him.

"You know... I actually like Jackal."

"I hoped you would. It's a name people are going to remember."

As Ghira and Kali showed concern over this character, Pietro assuaged their fears as he spoke to them.

"Oh, I see you've already met our protector of the city."

This earned Ghira and Kali's confusion as they spoke in unison before Ilia went over to them with the girl and wondered what the fuss was about before Pietro explained.

"Protector of the city?"

"What do you mean? And who exactly is he?"

"Well, when Jacques was in charge of the SDC, he got quite a bad rep. But, since Weiss took over and placed Klein in charge when she left, he helped clean his slate. Since then, he's fully committed to seeing the light and helping Mantle altogether, especially since my daughter's working out on the field with Atlas operatives."

Jackal was becoming more and more giddy with anticipation as he put his arms around Adam and Lavender in a group hug.

"That's right! And this is just the beginning! Now, we get to do it together, Adam! You, me, and Lavender! Fighting crime! Together! We make one heck of a team. Don't you think?"

Suddenly, the alarms went off again, making Jackal show a concerned look as he heard screams from far away before he stopped his hug and got out a grappler to travel around with.

"Uh-oh. Sorry I can't stay long enough, but duty calls!"

With that, Jackal then fired his grappler at a rooftop before propelling him into the air as he shouted.

"Hang in there, citizen! I am on the way!"

With Jackal gone from sight, Blake could see the looks of surprise on Adam and Lavender. She didn't know why, but somehow, seeing him again shocked them both.

"So, how exactly do you two know him?"

With all that they had to go through, Adam didn't think it was worth talking about this instant.

"That's... a long story, Blake. We'll explain later."

Being in the midst of one surprise after another, Nora felt a bit lost as she spoke out to the others with Pietro responding to her with Maria and Maurice left out of the loop.

"I can't tell if I completely understand what's going on or have, like, a million questions."

"And thankfully, I have about a thousand answers. But let's get out of this weather, first."

"I have absolutely no idea who that man was."

"Nor do I. But it seems to be for the best that he's on our side, at least."

Jaune didn't hesitate to speak his mind with Pyrrha adding to it as they spoke to Qrow, who was just as much in relief.

"Well, that was unexpected."

"Never a dull moment."

"But I wouldn't say unwelcome. I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher."

The group then began to head back to the pharmacy. Then, moments after, Ren heard footsteps from behind them as everything seemed to go in slow motion. Then, as his eyes darted behind him, almost instantly, they began to fall to the streets, caught by bolos that came seemingly out of nowhere before the others turned behind to see what the commotion was all about, only to get caught in the bolos as well. Raider and Qrow drew out their weapons as they tried to identify the source, only to get captured with bolos as they fell to the ground. Selene and Salem looked around to try to identify them next, and when the bolos came, Selene and Salem stopped a set that came at them with their powers as a dark aura came over them, only for them to be ambushed by another set as they fell to the ground next, their arms wrapped inside them before being met with four strange figures from behind them as two of which are feminine while two are male, one human and the other a wolf Faunus as he had a small tail before the leader, who had short brown hair and teal-green eyes, and in a a sleeveless Atlesian Specialist uniform that consisted of a white coat with red and blue accents and a four-leaf clover pin, along with a rabbit's foot keychain hanging off it, white pants, and brown fingerless gloves, and his partner, who had raven, slicked-back hair, dark blue eyes, and the same outfit as the leader did, but with longer sleeves and had black gloves over his hands spoke out as they stood over Qrow.

"Good work, team."

In the midst of the confusion, Oscar tried to identify the situation as he spoke while struggling before Cinder growled as the Qrow spoke to the leader.

"Hey! What's going on?!"

"Hey, pal! I'm a licensed Huntsman! Just helped save everyone?"

It didn't seem to matter to them as the leader's partner picked up his weapon while he spoke condescendingly.

"A likely story... criminal."

Then, more soldiers began to arrive from behind the other four figures as they started collecting the weapons the group held as the leader noticed the Relic of Knowledge beside Ruby before picking it up from the ground, making her gasp as he analyzed it before his partner brought up a report from checking the ships before being told a new order as Ruby tried to explain to them their current allegiance.

"We checked the ships and found quite a few familiar faces on board. We had them caught in a transport and sent to Atlas for questioning."

"Hm. Let's get them loaded into the next transport."

"Please! We were just... trying to help!"

Unfortunately, the leader's partner didn't believe any of it as he stepped on Ruby's leg, making her give a short scream as he retorted viciously, giving concern to Skye and Selene as they gasped while making the leader glare at him.

"Don't even try to convince us you're innocent, traitor! All of Remnant saw what you did at Kuroyuri! You don't even deserve the right to speak!"

Selene only growled at him as the leader roughly placed his hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough, Francis. We're told to capture them, not to kill."

"You saw what they did, too, Clover! Frankly, I'm surprised you're not taking this seriously."

"We don't know that it was them for sure. It could've been fabricated."

"Well, unlike you, I don't take any chances. And I'm not planning on starting now."

As Salem took notice of their argument, Taiyang commented on it as he laid by Raven, who didn't see it as a good time.

"Hey, nice good cop, bad cop routine you got there!"

"Just shut it, Tai."

In that moment, Salem had an idea form in her head as she remembered Kuroyuri. Back then, she was trying to win over Ruby to her side, which led to great consequences. She needed to make this right somehow and tried to think of how to do it. Then, she noticed that Selene began to attempt to free herself as she got the bolos on a dark purple aura before she whispered.

"No, Selene. Not yet."

"What? But—"

"We can't afford to cause a fight."

In terms of battle, Selene knew that they'd outnumbered the people who captured them. But, in the long run, they didn't want to give the impression that they were enemies. That would be what her father wanted. Then it would've been over before it began. Selene then took a deep sigh before she spoke to her.

"Okay."

In that moment, Ryker, Ghira, Kali, Maria, Maurice, Crimson, and Pietro saw the commotion and tried to find out what was going on.

"What is the meaning of this?! What are the Ace Ops even doing down here in Mantle?"

Hearing this, Ruby became confused while Skye began to remember them from her time at Atlas Academy prior to her escaping.

"Ace Ops?"

"Oh, right. I forgot about them. They're Ace Operatives. They were in charge of looking after me when I was being transported from the Spire."

Hearing this, Cinder began to remember that moment as she held her head down while speaking to herself.

"Before I showed up..."

As Raider overheard her voice, he showed a look of sympathy towards her before Clover spoke to Pietro.

"Doctor, good to see you. Well, we heard a report of two unauthorized ships making an unauthorized landing followed by an unauthorized use of weapons by non-licensed Huntsmen."

This made Crimson give a slight scoff as Taiyang tried to plead innocent.

"But what about me?! I didn't use any weapons!"

Francis quickly contradicted him as he looked over to one of his captives, much to his dismay.

"Legally, your fists are considered weapons, sir."

"Aw, come on!"

Crimson didn't take it as a big threat as he spoke to them mockingly.

"And what about me? Am I under arrest, too?"

Francis, having noticed the Relic of Creation in his hand, growled before getting out his sword and turning it into a whip as he snatched the relic back to his left hand before tripping Crimson and pulling him to him and the ground simultaneously as he planted his foot on his chest as he answered.

"Yes, you are. For stealing the Staff of Creation, and for disrespecting authority."

As Ghira and Kali saw the use of brute force applied, they tried to vouch for Crimson.

"He didn't steal anything, sir."

"He was just asked to—"

"We'll be the judge of that, citizens, as always. And in the meantime, while I see Faunus as equal as humans, I recommend you don't make the same mistake he did."

Left with no other choice outside of causing a scene that would be contrary to what they were trying to achieve, Ghira and Kali made concerned glances towards Blake while Maurice and Maria made cautious glares as Ryker spoke to Clover with an attempt to reason only for him to interrupt as he turned to Skye, who bore a concerned look.

"Look, if we could just talk this out—"

"They'll be able to talk this out once they get up to Atlas. And for Skye... that'd be long overdue. Let's move out!"

With that, the Ace Ops the vanished as quickly as they'd come with their exits, although Clover used his Kingsfisher to launch himself to a rooftop while Francis used his sword/whip to launch himself to the adjacent rooftop as Pietro looked on in concern.

* * *

Moments later, the group was all put in three transports as Watts was shoved into one that held CMNE, SIBR, Salem, Adam, Lavender, the rabbit girl, and Selene while the other transport had RWBY, JNPR, Crimson, Oscar, Qrow, Raven, and Taiyang inside the other before he spoke disgruntled as Qrow spoke to his team on the odds he counted on as the door closed on them.

"Hmph! Is that any way to treat one of the greatest minds of Atlas? The nerve..."

"Now, this? This is much closer to what I was expecting."

* * *

**A/N: Hello. :) Sorry for the long hiatus, but I've been trying to get the stories I have already set up finished so I'm not overwhelmed. And I initially thought about adding more to Cinder's backstory in "The Dark Rose", but after seeing yesterday's Volume 7 finale, I had a different idea. Don't worry, though. You'll see Cinder's full story in Atlas in the next chapter. :) Also, there are a couple of new characters introduced: Jackal (Anthony Ingruber) and Francis (Scott Patterson), the latter of which is allusioned to Judge Claude Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame book, and they will leave a major impact on the story. Beyond that, I hope you have a good time, and have fun with the Super Bowl. I know I will. :)**


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